Office Depot eyes November opening of new Boca HQ

By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR

On a cloudy, humid day in November 2006, a group of local, state and county leaders trekked along a muddy road to a remote section of heavily overgrown woods in Boca Raton.

On a section that had already been cleared, then-Boca Mayor Steven Abrams and Office Depot Chairman and CEO Steve Odland took shovels and broke ground for the new headquarters of the office supply giant.

Officials predicted a move to the new site by 2008.  And that, apparently, will come true.

The firm should vacate its current quarters in Delray Beach and move to the facility at the southeast corner of Military Trail and Clint Moore Road by November of this year, said Office Depot spokesman Brian Levin.

“All aspects of the project are going well and we are on schedule for a November move,” Levine told the Boca Raton News.

The groundbreaking in November 2006 for its new global headquarters in Boca Raton actually coincided with the 20th anniversary of the firm.

Officials said the 625,000-square-foot facility being built on 28 acres of land will house state-of-the-art technology in a facility designed to motivate productivity.

‘Significant Milestone’

"The creation of a new global headquarters marks a significant milestone in Office Depot's history," Odland said on groundbreaking day.  "It symbolizes not only our growth - from a company operating a single store in South Florida - to a $15 billion enterprise serving customers in 42 countries.”

He said it also shows “our commitment to the local community that gave us our start."

Odland said the project consists of three vertical, interconnected, five-story buildings that are linked by glass-enclosed atriums and will accommodate up to 2,500 Office Depot associates.

As part of its relocation from Delray Beach to Boca Raton, Office Depot expects to expand its workforce over time, Odland said.
 
Also on hand for the event was then-Gov. Jeb Bush, who said he was “honored to recognize Office Depot's longtime commitment to Florida, the state where it first established roots in 1986.

"Office Depot is instrumental to the economic engine that is South Florida, and I’m pleased that we were able to support the decision to stay in Palm Beach County," said then-Mayor Abrams.

Actually, Office Depot will lease its new facility from Flagler/Codina Development Group, the wholly owned commercial real estate arm of Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. and joint venture partner TIAA-CREF Global Real Estate Group.

Flagler Development Group has overseen the design, development and lease of the complex.

Office Depot has sold its current complex in Delray Beach and is leasing space from the new owner, who will take over the site when the office supply company vacates.

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